Why the C-Suite is still harder for women. And what actually helps

Paceworks cofounders Diane Perlman and Gabrielle Hase have both spent their careers working at the intersection of growth, brand, digital commerce and board leadership. Between them, they have led teams, advised CEOs, sat in boardrooms and navigated countless leadership challenges ourselves.

So they know first-hand that stepping into the C-Suite changes everything.

Not just the title. The dynamics.

To mark International Women’s Day 2026, Gabby and Diane wanted to share some food for thought for newly promoted or appointed female CEOs, in particular.

The people who were peers yesterday are suddenly reporting to you

Conversations shift. Informal alliances reset. Decisions that once sat comfortably within a team now carry organisational weight. Alliances on the board and across the executive team need to be strengthened and, in some cases, built from scratch. Founder dynamics can also be challenging, especially if the founder has stepped aside to make room for a new CEO, but remains heavily involved.

And while much of the conversation about women in leadership focuses on getting more women into the C-Suite, another reality is equally important: what it actually takes to succeed once you arrive.

Senior leadership has always required navigating complexity, competing expectations and imperfect information. But two notable patterns tend to show up for women in particular:

• Higher visibility, higher scrutiny: Female leaders often operate with a narrower margin for error once they reach the top. Research analysing CEO turnover shows that women CEOs are 33% more likely to be removed from their roles than male CEOs, and their average tenure is significantly shorter. These patterns suggest that leadership decisions made by women are often evaluated under tighter scrutiny by boards and stakeholders. (Source: Russell Reynolds)

• Glass cliff dynamics persist: Women are disproportionately appointed during periods of organisational difficulty or transition, a pattern widely known as the Glass Cliff. In practice, this means female CEOs are often stepping into roles where performance pressure is already elevated and expectations for rapid change are high, making the conditions for early success even more demanding.

The reality of women in the CEO seat

And keep this reality in mind: Women still represent only about 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs, a figure that has improved but remains strikingly low (Source: Fortune) and 29% across the C-Suite overall (Source: McKinsey).

At Paceworks, we believe the biggest challenge for any newly promoted CEO, female or male, is not capability but clarity. The transition into the top job changes the information flow inside the organisation. Former peers may hesitate to challenge decisions openly. Boards assume the new CEO “knows the business” and the culture. Meanwhile the decisions landing on the CEO’s desk span functions that no single career path fully prepares anyone for.

Marketing strategy is a good example. Marketing sits at the intersection of brand, demand generation, growth and customer experience. Yet many organisations have never clearly articulated how those pieces connect to revenue, and most CEOs have not come up through the marketing track. That leaves a significant gap.

For female CEOs operating under greater scrutiny, that gap can become an unnecessary disadvantage. But there is also a potential upside.

In their experience, many female leaders are more willing to seek perspective early rather than assuming they have to solve every challenge alone. In practice, that openness can be a strength. Leaders who bring in independent insight early tend to move faster, align their organisations more quickly and avoid the blind spots that slow momentum. Boards themselves increasingly rely on external evaluations or advisors for exactly this reason.

That observation is one of the reasons Paceworks exists.

What is Paceworks?

Paceworks is a short, focused business, brand and marketing assessment designed to help C-Suite leaders and their boards quickly gain the clarity they need to make confident decisions and move forward without losing momentum.

For female leaders in particular, that clarity can make the difference between navigating scrutiny alone and turning early expectations into momentum.

Gabby and Diane care deeply about helping leaders succeed. At Paceworks, we intend to keep showing up for the women who are blazing trails at the top and are not afraid to ask for perspective when it matters.

International Women’s Day is a moment to celebrate progress.

But the real opportunity lies in what happens after the celebration ends: ensuring that the women who reach the C-Suite have the clarity, support and perspective they need to thrive and succeed once they get there and long after.